Dutch is 6 months old now, and has had been in hotel rooms many times. But now, he is starting to bark at the footsteps, voices, doors slamming, etc. that he can hear from our hotel room at night and/or in the early morning. The hotel policy is that dogs are welcome, provided that they do not disturb other guests. This is definitely a problem, and I have had to get up in the early morning to put him outside in our car while we prepare to leave because he is disturbing other guests.
I don’t know how to handle this problem, or whether he will grow out of it with experience. I assume that if we don’t react, and just ignored him, he would eventually learn that no threat exists. However, we don’t have the ability to do this because other guests complain before he stops. They don’t want to be awakened in the middle of the night because my dog hears someone outside.
At home, and in our private rental vacation homes, his alerting to such sounds is highly valued. However, in hotel rooms, it’s a problem. I know many of you travel with your dogs often. Have you encountered this problem? What can we do to remedy it? I see many pictures of other AT dogs in hotel rooms, and no one has mentioned this, or how to deal with it. Thanks for any advice!
I think part of the issue is his age. Both my boys went through this stage, about 6-10 months. They wanted to act big and tough but kind of overdid it a bit. Both grew out of it within a few months and have been good with people, other dogs, and all kinds of travel ever since.
We’ve been traveling a lot lately for dog events and usually stay in cheap hotels so there are plenty of noises all day and all night. At first if Nikon hears another dog he does a quiet “wfff” but he gets over it pretty fast.
One thing I do is keep the bathroom fan on and bring my own box fan. Since I always have a fan running at home (can’t sleep without it) the dogs are used to the white noise and I think it helps block out other noises.
I also bring crates along so that if the dog can’t stay settled on his own over night I use the crate so he doesn’t have access to the door and window.
Good advice.
Thank you – Hopefully, he’ll grow out of it, too. He is a bit over-reactive, and his bark still sounds high-pitched (when does their “voice” change?). I really like the idea of bringing something to make white noise. We use a fan at home, too. We had brought his crate with us into the room, but that didn’t help.
This same thing happened to me in South Carolina last month, when Batman was 7 months old. Batman has never been much of a barker, but would bark at the strange hotel noises and “protest bark” incessantly from his crate when I left the room.
Thankfully, I brought a jar of peanut butter with me (no sugar added), and it was a godsend. Whenever he was about to bark, I would tell him “QUIET,” and put a dab of PB on the roof of his mouth with a spoon, and tell him, “GOOD QUIET,” while he licked it clean.
I also brought clean, empty marrow bones with me (I pack much better for the dog than for myself), and stuffed them w/PB and froze them. Before I left the hotel room, I would give him a frozen PB bone in his crate. He sometimes still let out a bark or two, but would quickly get distracted by licking out the frozen PB.
You’re a genius! That is just brilliant. I had brought his entire toy box, crate, treats, bully sticks, etc., but the clean marrow bones and peanut butter trump everything. I will work on the peanut butter to palate technique, which sounds like a great way to induce immediate silence, and reward the outcome. All these are such great ideas. Like you, we pack everything possible for Dutch – his enormous crate, packed with supplies, gets wheeled down the hallway on the valet cart, like a train heading for its station. He must be trained before next winter, because taking him out to the Suburban won’t be an option in cold weather. It will be great when the low growl or quiet “wfff” replaces the youthful high-pitched barking as he matures.
Hi, Bev
Julie told Dan and I that we could expect Oso to act up a bit around 6 months of age due to changes in testosterone levels. Julie also said he would settle back down.
Oso is also barking at things and people that he ignored before. Distraction helps and a supply of bully sticks. Plus knowing it is not permanent helps too.
Thanks, Kelli – that must be what is happening with Dutch, too. He is still great with people, but is getting worse with other dogs (barking at them). I like his barking and alerts here at home. If Julie mentioned that to me, I’ve forgotten. She’s provided us with so much information!
I’m hoping he’ll do well with the other dogs when he starts “classes” next Tuesday. I’d like to bring him with the prong collar, but I’m pretty sure that won’t go over very well. 🙁
Batman is going through a mild dog reactive phase. Every once in a while, he will bark and raise his hackles at a passing dog. My trainer says that herding line GSDs were bred to serve as a physical fence and to protect the sheep. This manifests itself into a beautiful, efficient gait and an instinct to guard against animal predators, while remaining neutral towards humans.
His reactivity peaked about a month ago, when he was Dutch’s age. His hormones were really flaring up, and he became easily stimulated by seeing other dogs. On my trainer’s advice, I started feeding him breakfast (mixed raw meat/veggies in patties) while we were out in the morning. I divided the meat in 1/4 lb servings in 8 Ziploc bags (2lbs total). Whenever I saw a dog approaching, I took out a bag and fed him the meat out of my hand (you may want to carry a dishtowel, too!), trying to time it so that he’d be eating from my hand while the dog passed by us. This replicates what dogs do in the wild: Hunt for food, or have their pack leader provide them food while out on the hunt. This also made him associate the presence of a another dog with paying attention to me for food.
If he failed to eat the food, I would take it away, get him out of the dog’s path, and command him to sit or down for a toy. If he didn’t obey, I’d correct him, and try again until he obeyed. In this case, I’d try to have him engaged in tug while the dog passed us, giving him an outlet for his excited energy.
Also, whenever he failed to eat a serving of food when it was offered, he never got it again. Meaning, if he ate only 6 of 8 baggies of food, he got 2 baggies (or 1/2 lb) less food than usual. Batman LOVES his food and will protest down to the 1/4 cup when he feels he’s been shortchanged. He caught on very quickly that he only had one chance to eat the food I was offering. I did this routine for a week and it was very effective. I would repeat it if he starts acting up again.
Now, I use a ball on a rope to keep him distracted as dogs pass by. I dangle it on the ground and make it move about like prey, then fling it sharply up, place the ball firmly in my hand (he knows not to snatch the ball out of my hand without permission), and put him in a sit. Right when the dog is about to pass us, I say “YES” (my marker word) and throw the ball in him mouth for a game of tug. We are tugging and having fun, as the dog goes by. This works 90 percent of the time.
In some cases, I will fling a handful of treats into the grass, and the motion of the treats, along with the smell, distracts Batman and gets him into “search” mode while the other dog passes by.
I’ve found that the toy works better than food most time, but try them both out and see what works best for Dutch.
And, remember, as Julie says, this too shall pass!
Sooo true! Roman had the same issues when he was younger, he just turned 3. I herd sheep with him and it’s very true what your trainer said about the dog being a barrier around the sheep. Just part of the awesomeness of the GSD.
Thank you SO much for your time helping me with this problem. I am now quite concerned about taking him to his classes, which start tomorrow, with about 7 other dogs. I prepared some fresh chicken treats (semi-dried, so they won’t slime my bag), and I’m having Scott replace the chewed rope so I can bring the yellow ball he likes, as well as his double knot tug toy. His home training is going so well, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he acts like a complete Bozo in class with all those other dogs!
You are so welcome, happy to help.
Don’t be nervous, you have a great puppy and already have done so much with him. Think of it as an opportunity to hone your skills and bond with your dog. Don’t worry about the other dog-owners, remember you’re there to learn and bond with your dog above all else.
If Dutch starts getting overly excited by the other dogs, make sure to give him a command first (“Settle,” “Down” or “Sit”) and give him a chance to obey in the presence of other dogs. If he doesn’t obey, correct him. In other words, try not to correct him for getting too excited around dogs, but for disobeying your command. Otherwise, he may start associating the mere presence of other dogs with corrections, and that can lead to problems.
One thing I forgot to add, you might want to bring Dutch’s crate mat with you and put it on the floor next to your seat, so it’s easier for him to settle. I did this for Batman and it worked well, even though by the end of the 8-week course, he had outgrown the mat, and looked ridiculous flopping down on it with his big Bat butt dangling off the side! Regardless, I think it made him feel more secure on his “place.”
This is pretty normal for a 6-month old. He is still learning his role in your pack. He won’t understand that your hotel room is your home away from home, so he will naturally be a bit apprehensive. When he perceives a potential threat, he is going to let you know about it.
There are a couple of things you can try depending on his demeanor.
I always taught the “enough” command. I did this by looking out the window/door that he was barking at, then saying “enough”, and calmly going back to what I was doing, not indicating anything out of the ordinary was going on. This showed him that, as the pack leader, I made the decision that there is no threat and it was time to go back to the normal routine. This works for squirrel threats as well as human. =) After awhile, no matter what was going on, I could tell him “enough!” and he would stop barking immediately and go on about his business.
If you want to try and mostly eliminate the barking while at the hotel (you will never do it fully, since he’ll always do it in extreme cases) you could try to condition him out of it. Go to a hotel near you, while not on vacation. Set up like you normally would on a trip. Have you inside with him and a second person out making the occasional walk by or noise outside. Do the classical routines of obedience, positive reinforcement, treats, play, etc. while this is going on.
At 6 months, he is going through a lot of changes, so it will take a bit of practice and patience. I feel the most important thing is reinforcing your role as pack leader so he will look to you for direction on how he should react.
Some fun, tiring sessions of exercise and OB training before hand will go a long way towards keeping him calm too. Good luck!
Thank you, Lee! Yes, we’ve also experienced “terrifying” squirrel threats, in addition to the usual dog threats, LOL. I started practicing the “enough” command today. We are back home, after having been traveling for a few weeks, so he’s alerting to all kinds of sounds right here in his house that I can investigate with him, then say “enough,” and walk away. It is very helpful already, Lee. You’re right – he is looking to me for my reaction, and follows cues well. I had been saying, “sshhhhh!,” but it wasn’t a strong enough sound. “Enough” seems to be a better deterrent.
Oh the barking. Koda only started barking at 10 months old. I was so happy to hear that bark BUT only at training.
Now he barks at our neighbors all the time. Makes me crazy! He gets the e collar whenever he won’t listen.
Go to class and enjoy yourself. If he acts like a jerk–no big deal. That’s what you’re there for. Before he starts barking, keep him focused on you with his ball (if that is his favorite) or mighty tasty treats. Try to stay relaxed and do not keep a death grip on the lead. All of that tension goes straight down the lead and reinforces his suspicions.
If you normally walk Dutch with a prong collar, then by all means, use it! If anything is said about it, tell the instructor that you are very old and feeble with severe arthritis. That works for Rita every time! 😉
You will feel more secure if he is wearing his prong so that is one less thing for you to stress over.
Carole, you have an answer for everything!
I agree, don’t be stressed about class. It will be good for both of you to get used to working around a bunch of other dogs, with owners who have a proactive mindset like yourself. Bring super high value treats and toys. Bring the peanut butter.
I took a dried cow trachea to our first puppy class, knowing that Batman would ignore just about everything to gnaw his beloved moo tubes. Unfortunately, I forgot how stinky and noisey they are to eat, and had to take it away after about 5 seconds of loud, stinky chewing action. Oops. I switched to PB-stuffed frozen marrow bones and odorless bully sticks and cow ears after that. Kongs roll around too much.
What is going to happen tomorrow when I show up with my bag overflowing with fresh chicken treats, peanut butter-stuffed marrow bones, stinky tracheas, cow ears, giant-sized bully sticks, and dog mat under my arm, tugging a big German Shepherd puppy by a rope with a yellow nubby ball stuffed in his mouth? Will anyone even notice the prong collar? Will Dutch even notice the other dogs? Will we both be expelled from Family Dog School? On the first day???
Thank you all for your support and advice. It is so helpful to know that you have had similar experiences, and have found ways to cope and train forward with our amazing dogs.
Too funny — the visual of you walking in has me laughing! Please let us know how the class goes — I can’t wait to hear about it.
This is age and inexperience. Shhhhh does not work. If you watch/listen to schutzhund or people double handling their dogs they make that same noise to fire up their dogs. I let them know strongly and sharply that the noise is not acceptable.
Dutch is entering an age of insecurity and turmoil as the hormones kick in. You have to do your best to help guide them through this time.